DHS Opens $440 Million Governmentwide Biometric Device Competition

The US Department of Homeland Security has opened a governmentwide competition worth more than $440 million for biometric capture devices and related equipment.

The multiple-award contract is divided into fingerprint, face, iris, palm and multimodal tracks. DHS plans to make at least three indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity awards in each track, allowing its components and other federal agencies to place orders over the contract period. An indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity vehicle sets terms and a maximum value while agencies issue individual orders as requirements arise.

Multimodal equipment accounts for the largest share of the contract ceiling, while iris devices represent the smallest. The solicitation covers capture devices and peripheral equipment used by agencies to collect biometric data for their respective missions.

DHS says federal agencies have historically acquired biometric equipment through separate one-time purchases and different contracting vehicles. The department cited fragmented buying, inconsistent standards and limited economies of scale as problems the governmentwide vehicle is intended to address.

A shared contract can also standardize equipment used with federal biometric databases and operational systems. Vendors will be evaluated on device availability and technical approval, while pricing must be supported and judged fair and reasonable.

The procurement is numbered 70RDA126R00000001. It is being led by DHS, which houses the Office of Biometric Identity Management and operates identity systems used across border security, immigration and law-enforcement programs.

The scale is considerably broader than individual biometric purchases made by DHS components. The Coast Guard recently sought iOS-compatible mobile devices for its Biometrics at Sea system, a more specialized program intended to support identity checks during maritime operations.

US Citizenship and Immigration Services has also continued investing in fingerprint operations, including a recent requirement for 12 certified ten-print examiners. The new contracting vehicle could provide a common route for agencies to buy the hardware used alongside those operational and examination functions.

Proposals for the governmentwide device contract are due September 18. DHS expects to make awards later in the month, after assessing whether bidders can supply technically approved equipment at supported prices across the five biometric categories.

Sources: SAM.gov, FedScoop

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By the ID Tech Editorial Team